Jennie Woodward
August 2024
Jennie
Woodward
,
BSN, RN, CWON
Allen Hospital Wound Center
Allen Hospital
Waterloo
,
IA
United States
She voluntarily goes into our hospital to educate new ostomy patients and their families. She makes them feel at ease with such a scary new, often unexpected medical procedure and shows them how great life can be living with an ostomy.
Jennie Woodward is one of the most valuable nurses at our Wound Clinic and Hospital. She has a diverse set of skills as a Wound Ostomy Continence Nurse (WOCN), all the while maintaining her own ostomy since she was a preteen. Knowing what it feels like to live with an ostomy for so many years, she makes it her mission to educate as many people about ostomy care as she can. She voluntarily goes into our hospital to educate new ostomy patients and their families. She makes them feel at ease with such a scary new, often unexpected medical procedure and shows them how great life can be living with an ostomy. Often our general surgeons will call down to our clinic for an emergency ostomy marking. Jennie notifies the team, someone will step in down here for her, and she happily heads into surgery to show the surgeons the best placement of a new ostomy. Jennie even volunteers her own free time to be the President of our Wound Care Education Committee, teaches ostomy care to other nurses with our Wound Care 101 program, and goes as far as to connect with other hospital systems (Waverly Health Center) to teach their staff about all things ostomy.
I haven't even mentioned her wound care... She's the Case Manager for our Medical Director and recently took our new Nurse Practitioner under her wing to Case Manage for her as well. As a Case Manager, she is responsible for knowing everything about her patients so she can be the provider's right hand. She often offers suggestions for treatment plans pulling from her eight years of experience in our wound clinic. Jennie works with her fellow nurse to track all our cellular tissue products, ensures the patient's insurance will cover the product, and will submit MedApproved requests for new cellular tissue products that our providers want to use. The two of them have also owned our supply ordering, ensuring we have all the office supplies, offloading materials, instruments, medications, and wound care supplies on hand always that are needed. Jennie is a certified hyperbaric chamber operator so she can fill in while our Hyperbaric Oxygen Technician is away. She will go out of her way to check if a patient qualifies for hyperbaric treatment to ensure the patient is getting the best care and exhausts all treatment options until the patient heals. Along with all previous responsibilities, she is always looking for ways to improve our patients' experience in the clinic. One example would be rearranging a patient exam room for better flow and more space so as not to move the patient several times throughout their visit. Such a simple improvement with a significant impact. Speaking of impact... She has come up with several ideas for IMPACT Grants, two of which we've recently been awarded. A Hoyer lift to help transfer patients and a wheelchair scale so that our patients don't have to stand up on their painful legs to get their weight. On top of all of this, she comes to work every day with a smile on her face and a genuine willingness to continually challenge herself, her teammates, and even myself, the director, to deliver exceptional patient care day after day. She normalizes ostomies and ostomy care for the benefit of our hospital staff, patients, and families. She really exemplifies what it is to be a Wound, Ostomy, Continence Nurse, and a healthcare worker.
***
I chose to nominate Jennie for the DAISY Award as I feel she is a natural leader, and I’ve had the opportunity to watch her “blossom” here at the Allen Wound & Hyperbaric Center over the last 7 years. She started here with a strong interest in wound care with experience on 4-Surgical, and then furthered her growth by becoming a Certified Wound and Ostomy Nurse. Through her role, she shares her knowledge of wound and ostomy care to nurses here in the hospital and out in the community via Nurse Residency and Wound Care 101, on an individual basis with each patient, whether they have a new or chronic ostomy, and most recently mentoring two nurses in our department as they navigate their own certification.
Jennie makes a big impact on the patients she serves by guiding them through the newness of having an ostomy or by building a new nurse-patient relationship and making sure each patient has a resource when needed. Even the little things matter too, recently a patient with an ostomy was told that her supplies would cost her an additional out of pocket cost to be “pre-cut”. Jennie took it upon herself to avoid that cost for the patient and cut the supplies for her. I am honored to work beside Jennie every day, and I feel she deserves special recognition for all the work and special care she provides to our team and patients!
***
Jennie personifies a great, versatile, caring, and extremely competent nurse.
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Awesomeness!! Jennie is instrumental in her care for the general surgery population. She goes above and beyond to make sure her patients are taken care of. We appreciate her attention to detail and personal touch.
***
Jennie has always been so helpful to my patients. She is open and willing to come and share her personal experience with patients, and it has eased many of them. Jennie is continuously going above and beyond in her care for patients. She is
definitely deserving of special recognition.
I haven't even mentioned her wound care... She's the Case Manager for our Medical Director and recently took our new Nurse Practitioner under her wing to Case Manage for her as well. As a Case Manager, she is responsible for knowing everything about her patients so she can be the provider's right hand. She often offers suggestions for treatment plans pulling from her eight years of experience in our wound clinic. Jennie works with her fellow nurse to track all our cellular tissue products, ensures the patient's insurance will cover the product, and will submit MedApproved requests for new cellular tissue products that our providers want to use. The two of them have also owned our supply ordering, ensuring we have all the office supplies, offloading materials, instruments, medications, and wound care supplies on hand always that are needed. Jennie is a certified hyperbaric chamber operator so she can fill in while our Hyperbaric Oxygen Technician is away. She will go out of her way to check if a patient qualifies for hyperbaric treatment to ensure the patient is getting the best care and exhausts all treatment options until the patient heals. Along with all previous responsibilities, she is always looking for ways to improve our patients' experience in the clinic. One example would be rearranging a patient exam room for better flow and more space so as not to move the patient several times throughout their visit. Such a simple improvement with a significant impact. Speaking of impact... She has come up with several ideas for IMPACT Grants, two of which we've recently been awarded. A Hoyer lift to help transfer patients and a wheelchair scale so that our patients don't have to stand up on their painful legs to get their weight. On top of all of this, she comes to work every day with a smile on her face and a genuine willingness to continually challenge herself, her teammates, and even myself, the director, to deliver exceptional patient care day after day. She normalizes ostomies and ostomy care for the benefit of our hospital staff, patients, and families. She really exemplifies what it is to be a Wound, Ostomy, Continence Nurse, and a healthcare worker.
***
I chose to nominate Jennie for the DAISY Award as I feel she is a natural leader, and I’ve had the opportunity to watch her “blossom” here at the Allen Wound & Hyperbaric Center over the last 7 years. She started here with a strong interest in wound care with experience on 4-Surgical, and then furthered her growth by becoming a Certified Wound and Ostomy Nurse. Through her role, she shares her knowledge of wound and ostomy care to nurses here in the hospital and out in the community via Nurse Residency and Wound Care 101, on an individual basis with each patient, whether they have a new or chronic ostomy, and most recently mentoring two nurses in our department as they navigate their own certification.
Jennie makes a big impact on the patients she serves by guiding them through the newness of having an ostomy or by building a new nurse-patient relationship and making sure each patient has a resource when needed. Even the little things matter too, recently a patient with an ostomy was told that her supplies would cost her an additional out of pocket cost to be “pre-cut”. Jennie took it upon herself to avoid that cost for the patient and cut the supplies for her. I am honored to work beside Jennie every day, and I feel she deserves special recognition for all the work and special care she provides to our team and patients!
***
Jennie personifies a great, versatile, caring, and extremely competent nurse.
***
Awesomeness!! Jennie is instrumental in her care for the general surgery population. She goes above and beyond to make sure her patients are taken care of. We appreciate her attention to detail and personal touch.
***
Jennie has always been so helpful to my patients. She is open and willing to come and share her personal experience with patients, and it has eased many of them. Jennie is continuously going above and beyond in her care for patients. She is
definitely deserving of special recognition.